Craig Friedman, Talent and Skills Transformation Leader at St. Charles Consulting Group and author of Enterprise Skills Unlocked, joins us this week to discuss the shift toward skills-based organizations. He breaks down how data-driven transformations allow companies to move from simple headcount management to true capability management. Craig also shares practical advice on how to prioritize skills projects to ensure they solve real business problems and deliver ROI.

[0:00] Introduction

[5:05] What does a skills-based transformation look like in practice?

[11:57] How different teams leverage skills data differently

[26:14] The impact on Learning and Development (L&D)

[36:20] Closing

Quick Quote

“A lot of the reason we're doing this now when we couldn't do it before is because of these more advanced tools in data analytics and AI and machine learning that actually help us manage data at that scale.”

Link to Craig's book: https://a.co/d/0naqmvh

🚀 Exciting changes are coming in 2026! Join David Turetsky as he shares his vision for HR Data Labs, focusing on positivity and growth. Discover how we're merging brown bag lunches into our podcast and launching something new for HR Data Labs. #HRDataLabs #2026Vision #Positivity

Chapters

Ranya Nehmeh, HR Strategist and Adjunct Professor at FHWien der WKW in Vienna, Austria, and Peter Cappelli, Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Human Resources at the Wharton School, join us this week to discuss some of the topics covered in their book, In Praise of the Office. We explore the current tumultuous state of Return-to-Office (RTO) mandates, why "hybrid" work is often failing to deliver on its promises, and the critical need for intentional management to foster human connection.

[0:00] Introduction

[9:15] The messiness of Return-to-Office (RTO) today

[19:03] Is work actually getting done remotely?

[29:50] Do policies need to change for the new world of work?

[46:23] Closing

Quick Quote

“If you really want people to come back into the office, you have to do it with intentionality.”

Steve Brink, CEO of GECN Group, joins us this week to discuss the complex world of executive compensation. Steve breaks down why the US pays a premium compared to the rest of the world, how boards are shifting their focus from simple compensation to holistic talent management, and the global trends driving executive pay structures today.

Bob Pulver, host of the Elevate Your AIQ podcast and a 25-year enterprise tech and innovation veteran, joins us this week to unpack the urgent need to move past "AI" as a buzzword and define what "Responsible AI" truly means for organizations. He shares his insights on why we are all responsible for AI, how to balance playing "defense" (risk mitigation) and "offense" (innovation), and why we must never outsource our critical thinking and human agency to these new tools.

[0:00] Introduction

[12:25] What Does “Responsible AI” Mean?

[25:48] The Two Sides of Responsible Innovation

[41:58] Why don’t we use AI to give us a 4-day work week?

[50:27] Closing

Quick Quote

“We're all responsible for Responsible AI, whatever your role is. You're either using it or abusing it . . . or you're building it or you're testing it.”

Noah Mithrush, Director of Growth Marketing at Guusto, joins us live from the UKG Aspire Conference to unpack the critical intersection of User Experience (UX) and Employee Experience (EX) in HR technology. Noah explains why so many HR programs fail to gain adoption and how even the best intentions can be derailed by a poor user experience. We discuss how to get into the user’s mindset, why HR tech should be as easy to use a consumer app, and how making the emotional journey of an employee is the key to success. 

[0:00] Introduction

[3:53] What do people get right and wrong about user experience?

[10:43] How do you get into the users’ mindset to align UX and EX?

[16:59] How does AI impact the employee experience?

[22:28] Closing

Quick Quote

“What I see a lot of the time is what people get right is their intention. At the very beginning, they're trying to solve a problem . . . but when it comes to tech and the user experience, [they’re] not taking into consideration all of the points along the way of different technology [and] how the actual end-user (or employee) has to use and interact with it.”

Nate Rees, Director of Training and Talent Development at Salary.com, joins us this episode to discuss a critical issue facing organizations today: the manager training crisis. Nate shares alarming data on the percentage of managers promoted without receiving any training and the costly impact this has on turnover and productivity. We explore why organizations fail to invest in new managers, how a raise is not a substitute for training, and low-budget/high-impact strategies HR leaders can implement immediately to better support their new managers.

[0:00] Introduction

[6:25] What is the manager training crisis?

[16:31] Why aren’t more organizations investing in manager training?

[22:29] How can HR leaders start to fix this?

[33:43] Closing

Quick Quote

“60% [of managers] say they never received any training when they transitioned into their first leadership role... we're throwing them at the deep end of the pool and not giving them any swimming lessons.”

Carlee Wolfe, Associate Vice President of Talent and Organizational Effectiveness at Hyatt, joins the podcast for a special 250th episode! Carlee discusses the value, strategy, and importance of serving on nonprofit boards. She shares insights on how to find the right board that matches your passions and skills, why nonprofits need skilled volunteers, and how to be an effective contributing board member once you join.

[0:00] Introduction

[9:28] What is the strategic value of joining a nonprofit board?

[17:29] How do you find the right board to join?

[26:00] How to be an effective board member

[28:07] Closing

Quick Quote

“I think the big thing about being on a board . . . is you are helping set the support and steward the strategic direction of the organization, right? You're that body that supports the ultimate mission of where the organization is heading.”

In this episode, David and Dwight dive into the critical and ever-present issue of poor data quality in HR and its cascading impact on the organization. They break the problem down into 3 key areas: recruiting, artificial intelligence, and pay transparency. They explore how recruiting often serves as the flawed entry point for employee data, discuss the dangers of training AI on biased information (which can lead to discriminatory practices like ageism), and examine the new data governance challenges posed by emerging pay transparency laws.

[0:00] Introduction

[5:24] How does poor data quality in recruiting create downstream problems?

[12:08] How can biased data lead to discriminatory AI in the hiring process?

[19:32] What are the data governance challenges presented by pay transparency laws?

[24:31] Closing

Quick Quote

“As the demographic bubble for Gen X gets larger, companies can't ignore [AI bias in recruitment] anymore. They have to take it on, and that means they have to start training their artificial intelligence to not filter out all of us grays.”

Haris Ikram, Co-founder and CEO of CandorIQ, and Chad Atwell, Head of Customer Success and Advisory Services at CandorIQ, join us this episode to discuss the critical, yet often disconnected, relationship between HR and finance in workforce planning. They explore why these teams often operate in silos and how they can collaborate more effectively on headcount and compensation to drive business success. The conversation also gets into the changing definition of the workforce, the role of data in strategic planning, and how AI is shaping the future of work and employee skills.

[0:00] Introduction

[5:50] Why HR and finance teams don’t collaborate, even though they should

[20:06] What’s workforce planning and what challenges might be present?

[37:53] How AI and agents are influencing workforce planning

[43:46] Closing

Quick Quote

“Layoffs cause an immense amount of harm for the companies as well. I mean, there's lots of research out there that will show dips or even just outright dives in company confidence, people's belief in future career opportunities, confidence in leadership.”